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AbstractEnvironmental change rarely occurs as a single, isolated event; organisms and communities typically experience one stressor against the backdrop of another that has already passed. Arunima Sikder’s doctoral thesis examines whether an organism’s past environment shapes its response to the environment that follows, and whether that influence propagates upward to affect the stability of the communities to which these organisms belong.The thesis addresses this question in Synechococcus sp., a globally significant marine primary producer, using thermal and chemical stressors as its two environmental drivers. Working across three levels of biological organization, the study examines how past environments shape responses to subsequent ones—whether they occur in sequence, fluctuate, or occur in combination—using functional traits as the common metric for measuring these responses.The results reveal three key findings. First, sensitivity to a stressor depends on the sequence of exposure, not on the stressor alone. Second, response diversity predicts community stability only when measured under the community’s actual acclimation history, rather than under sustained conditions as conventional wisdom assumes. Third, an apparent contradiction in biodiversity–ecosystem function theory—a negative relationship between functional diversity and performance.Together, these findings suggest that sensitivity, response diversity, and functional diversity should be treated as state-dependent quantities rather than fixed properties, with implications for how the performance of biological systems is measured and modeled under increasingly variable environmental conditions.JuryProf. Alice DENNIS (UNamur), ChairProf. Frederik DE LAENDER (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Maren STRIEBEL (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)Prof. Giulia GHEDINI (Monash University)Prof. Eli THORÉ (UNamur)

Stanford University has published a prestigious ranking that highlights the most influential researchers in a wide range of scientific fields. The list, based on bibliographic criteria, aims to provide a standardized means of identifying the world's scientific leaders. It is one criterion among others for assessing the quality of scientific research. Twelve researchers from the University of Namur are among them!

A delegation from the Université de Namur took part in an exploratory mission to the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) in Dakar, Senegal. The aim: to discover the research carried out in the field, meet UCAD researchers and initiate future collaborations between the two institutions.

Trust of traditional political institutions and elected representatives, rise of authoritarian logics, definition of public services... Democracy today seems to be going through a turbulent zone. What role does the university play in this context? To shed light on this question, we interviewed four researchers from different disciplines: educationalist Sephora Boucenna, philosopher Louis Carré, political scientist Vincent Jacquet and legal scholar Aline Nardi. Their contrasting views sketch out the contours of an issue that is more topical than ever: thinking about and defending the link between university and democracy.

Contact the ILEE Institute PresidentJohan YansVice-presidentFrédéric Silvestre Scientific managerCarolin MayerTel : +32 (0)81 724 373Email: ilee@unamur.be S'affilier Si vous souhaitez vous affilier ou si vous souhaitez modifier votre affiliation, rendez-vous sur la page "affiliation aux instituts de recherche".